Catch Me before I Fall
by Aeirwen
Summary: "We all know the beginning of this story, but how it ends is entirely different thanks to me. Why? Because I am not MC. And her story is not mine. While we are similar, we are, in fact, two very different individuals, which means my story is not hers. I am also but a simple maid who works at Tres Spades. Welcome to Tres Spades Hotel and Casino Resort, please enjoy your stay."
1. 20 Million Dollars

Catch Me before I Fall

Chapter 1

20 Million Dollars

* * *

Despite my exhaustion, despite everything that I have been through, despite how much I wanted to die... Despite the fact that I want nothing more than to kill myself, there was one thing I'm certain of and that is the fear of death itself.

"Baba," I stared up at the brunet male with a pitiful face as I dropped to my knees. My eyes welled up with the tears that I had tried so hard to hold back, "Please, I beg of you. I know it's a lot to ask and I know that I may never be able to pay you back, but please..." I stared up at the silent male with the straightest face I could muster. I wasn't going to cry. No matter what, I won't. Don't you dare! It's pathetic enough that, not only was this situation forced upon me, but that I was on my knees, begging for help from someone who's name I once couldn't recall. "Please," I begged, "Please help me."

With a troubled expression clouding over his face, Baba Mitsunari narrowed his eyes and looked away whilst rubbing his chin. He finally gave a sigh with a look of defeat, looking down at me with such a pitying face, "You really do love him, don't you?"

My eyes quivered and my lips trembled. It was that one, simple question that broke down the dam. All of the tears that I had tried so hard, SO HARD! To hold back...they all came pouring out from the tear ducts of my eyes. Gritting my teeth and rubbing my eyes with my fists, I wept and confessed, "Yes! I do! I do love him! I love him so much! So please! Please help me!" I broke. I'm broken. I'm breaking in front of someone I had never thought I would ever consider a friend. Someone, who at some point, I rudely couldn't even remember his name. "Please," I begged, "please help me!"

Baba let out another sigh and crossed his arms before bestowing upon me a sympathetic smile. He squatted down to my level and placed a palm on my head, patting me softly.

"Alright."

* * *

 _Ding!_

"Where the hell is she?"

That was the first thing that was heard as soon as the elevator doors opened in the penthouse lounge. The sounds of quick steps clicked against the tiles, making their way towards the lounging members of the auction managers. Slightly perplexed by this sudden outburst, Eisuke and Soryu sat up to look over Baba and Ota's heads as they turned them, only to widen their eyes in surprise when a foot landed on Baba's face, pushing him off the couch.

Baba propped himself off the ground with an elbow, wincing as he rubbed his nose. "Tsk...well that smarts."

Clearly puzzled, Ota's brows furrowed as his eyes narrowed at Mamoru in disbelief. "What's gotten into you, Kishi?"

Ignoring Ota, Mamoru only peered down at Baba who was still sprawled on the ground. "Where is she, Baba?"

"She's gone," Eisuke's eyes narrowed as he answered. "She turned in her resignation letter a week ago."

"That don't answer my question, Eisuke!" Mamoru exclaimed, slamming his palms down on the back rest of the couch before him. "I want to know where she is, Baba!"

"Cut it out, Kishi!" Ota looked between the three faces involved, ignoring Soryu who only stood by calmly and watched silently. At this point, all but Baba were up on their feet, keeping an eye on each other. "What-What's going on?"

"Geez, you can't even say her name properly." Baba sighed, getting up on his feet, dusting himself off and fixing his hair. "All you need to know is that she's safe."

"Goddamn it, Baba!" Mamoru was trying harder and harder to contain his frustration. "Don't tell me what I need to know! Tell me what I want to know!"

Out of annoyance, Soryu averted and narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe you're getting all worked up over some woman."

"Can it, Soryu." Annoyed by his superfluous contribution to the conversation, Mamoru pulled a gun out on him, causing Soryu to quickly react by pulling his own out too, both of them pointing their weapons at each other at the same time with eyes locked together. Silence and tension flooded the lounge from their stare down. Ota, Eisuke, and Baba all stood as still as the detective and the mob boss, their eyes traveling to one another in discomfort and slight concern.

"Alright!" Baba sighed and raised his hands in defeat, holding them up in the air as he cautiously stepped in between the two guns. He stared straight at Mamoru with a serious face. "I promised her already, that I would not tell anyone where she is. Not even her friends. This is something that shouldn't be coming from me, but you're probably going to want to hear this before I explain the situation. Kozue...is in love with you." Mamoru's eyes only narrowed even more, keeping his fun up and aimed at Baba who only continued calmly. "Don't shoot me. Remember, I am not your enemy." Baba took a deep breath through his nostrils, contemplating if he should reveal the secret or not, but after painfully gritting his teeth, he did so. "Kozue asked me to fund her abortion precedure so I sent her somewhere safe. But she never wants to see you ever again."

Mamoru's eyes widened in shock as he slowly let down his arm. She's...pregnant? The shock of those words completely numbed him. How could he have not known? Just how stupid and foolish could he have been?! This...this was all his fault!

"WOAAH!" exclaimed Ota, "I WAS TOTALLY NOT EXPECTING THAT!"

* * *

...Back to the Beginning...

* * *

I never really had big dreams, really. I never aspired to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or an idol, or anything, but of course I do love watching dramas and I like keeping up with idols such as Smiley Pyrus and Revance. Though I see the appeal and the glamour of it, I never aspired to be rich either. Perhaps I am just not that ambitious or I see no need to want the things I really have no need for. As long as I make enough to live peacefully and contently, that's good enough for me, really.

So, in honest truth, I don't have a glamorous job such as a writer, or an actress, or a news reporter, or even a flight attendant. My job is, well, less sexy if I had to put it in a particular way. Or, well, it really depends on who's into that kind of thing. It's not as "sexy" as television or pornography tends to make it. To put it simply, I work as a maid at a hotel owned by the Ichinomiya Group, a large company that owns banks and trading companies in Japan and have many affiliated companies oversea. The hotel I work at is Hotel Tres Spades, Japan's first legal casino and hotel, which was built five years ago when casinos were legalized in Japan.

Me, a simple maid who works in a hotel… Never, in my entire life, would I have ever expected to be ridiculously worth 20 MILLION DOLLARS!?

* * *

"Good morning!" I called out as soon as I entered the women's locker room and smiled as soon as I saw my friend, Sakiko.

She grinned back at me, greeting me as well with a, "Morning, Kozue."

Ah, that's right. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Shinomiya Kozue. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Please take care of me.

As we both changed into our different uniforms, Sakiko seemed pretty excited about something. "The V.I.P. Convention starts today!" she exclaimed, "I'm so pumped."

I chuckled a little at her enthusiasm. We're both the same age and really close. I actually think that we're close enough to the point where I really feel like I can confide in her in just about anything, really. "I bet you'll be really busy since you work on the casino floor," I replied, reaching behind my back to zip up my dress as she buttoned her vest. "Since I'm in charge of the regular guest rooms, I doubt today will be any different for me." I shrugged, fixing on my shoes. I'll admit, I'm a little jealous, but a job's a job. If I don't get to see any famous celebrities or idols, it's alright. There's always the next V.I.P. Convention. "I wish I could work at the I.V.C. too," I half joked.

"That's the goal of everyone who works here," Sakiko sat down next to me as well, fixing on her own shoes.

I sighed, thinking back on my memories. "I've been dreaming about it ever since I saw the party on TV."

"Movie stars, top athletes…" she began to list off the people she saw. Of course I was jealous, but there's nothing I can really do about it. "Super famous people from all over the world come to this party!" Apparently Sakiko applied here without thinking she'd get hired, so she thought she was dreaming when she did. Well, I did get hired here too, but Sakiko's lucky to work up in the Casino. If it was me up there though, I don't think I'd be able to deal well. "Oh my god, what if some rich famous guy falls in love with me at first sight?!" I laughed, not meaning to be insulting, but really, what a dream. Sakiko is really pretty though, perhaps that's why she works up in the I.V.C. Unlike me, I suppose, but I don't think I look too bad. Even though the V.I.P. guests are important, I have to work hard for our regular guests too. Right now, it's busier and even more intense around here since the International V.I.P. Convention (the I.V.C), Tres Spades' largest event, is approaching soon.

When we left the locker room and headed to the lobby, there was a crowd of reporters and onlookers gathering. I frowned a little, seeing people I've only seen on TV appearing one after another.

"Oh my god, Kozue!" Sakiko's eyes shot wide open as she stood on her tip toes to look over the crowd. "Look who just got out of that limo! That guy is always on the V.I.P. list. They call him the king!"

"Huh? What?" I didn't really believe it, but I stood up on my toes as well to get a good look over the crowd. "Where?" Even though I hate getting caught up in celebrity gossip whilst on the job, I couldn't help but join Sakiko in trying to get a glimpse over the crowd. I watched in awe as a tall man walked along surrounded by women on both sides. The model Kiko and the actress Ryoko Shinozuka were with him! All the women around him are famous…

"He's been living in the penthouse suite for a while now."

"What?!" I stared at Sakiko in disbelief. That's ridiculous, "It costs tens of thousands of dollars to stay for just one night!" Are people really that frivolous? I wonder what he does for a living… I frowned, watching him walk away arrogantly as he pays no attention to the huge crowd, unable to take my eys off him.

"KYAAAH! EISUKE'S HERE!"

Surprised, I stared over to the sound of women and watched as they all started running, accidentally pushing one of our newest employees right into the crowd. I gasped, watching as she fell through the crowd and landed against the man Sakiko and I were watching.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she apologized quickly. Just when she was about to fall over, the man had caught her arm, preventing her from tumbling onto the ground.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" "How dare you touch Eisuke!"

I frowned at the group of women, trying to contain the irritation I was beginning to have towards them. It's my job to keep a smile on my face, but they were the ones who pushed her over there in the first place.

"I-I'm really sor-"

"Get out of the way." My eyes widened when he shoved her aside and continued to walk off with a crowd of women stalking off after him. The girl only just stared in disbelief as well as she fell onto the ground. He sighs in annoyance, brushing off his suit and shoots a glare at her, or so I believe, seeing the frightened look on the poor girl's face. As soon as the crowd followed after him into another room, Sakiko and I ran up to help the girl.

"The King caught you in his arms!" Sakiko beamed. "I'm soo jealous! Did he smell good?!"

I huffed in amusement. Honestly, after such an intimidating display, I don't think I'd be thinking about how 'good' he 'smells'. Haha…after all, that attitude seemed pretty foul to me. I'd imagine he didn't smell very good.

The poor girl only smiled and laughed nervously, "I dunno… I don't really remember…"

I offered a hand to the girl and pulled her up. "That's alright. Since we work on the regular guest floors, it's less likely we'll run into those stuck up and arrogant guests again."

"PFFT! Yeah, you're probably right about that."

It was just about that moment when we heard the clacking of shoes making their way over to us. "What were you thinking, making a fool out of yourself in front of such an important guest?!"

I sighed at the sight of her, "Oh, Erika…"

"Just what were you thinking?!" repeated two voices behind her simultaneously.

… _and her minions…_

The three women stood before us imposingly, Erika, who, for some reason, never really liked me, and the twins, Rina and Kana, who practically never leave her side. All three of them have worked here longer than I have.

"It was an accident," I stood in front of the girl with a calm expression on my face, but Erika ignored me by talking at me and past me.

"Hush, Kozue! It was her fault for not paying attention to what was going on around her!" I sighed as the girl behind me was being scolded by Erika who was in front of me. "You're in charge of the regular guests anyways! You both have no business being around the V.I.P.s! Try getting promoted to a V.I.P. maid like me and then we'll talk!"

"Then we'll talk!" Rina and Kana repeated and I only sighed through my nostrils, trying so hard not to roll my eyes at how unprofessional they were being. Instead, I only yawned and blinked at them, leaning back to roll my head in some other direction. It's not like I could do anything anyways. They were, after all, basically my seniors.

I only smiled and lifted a brow. "Yes, Erika," I sang.

Erika only smiled back at me smugly, "Go to every floor and drop off all the special gift boxes for the guests staying in the spa package."

I huffed, "You mean, all by myself?"

Her eyes narrowed at me, "You got a problem with that?"

"I'll help you, Shinomiya-san."

I only smiled and turned away saying goodbye to Sakiko as the girl followed after me.

* * *

"Are you new here?" I asked, just to make sure as we made our way down to the basement.

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah! My name's Ono Hanami. Please take care of me!"

"Haha! Of course!" I shut my lips quickly, trying to suppress the urgent need to… "If I had known you before that incident with that arrogant jerk back there, I probably would have thought, 'Oh no! Hanami!'" Yipes! I couldn't!

"Hahaha! I get that a lot actually. Oh! But you can call me Hanami. There's no need to be so formal with me since, after all, you are my sempai."

"Ehh!" I felt a little shy, hearing that from Hanami as I looked for the special gifts and began loading them onto a cart. I haven't been called 'sempai' since I was in high school. "There's no need to call me that. Let's be friends, okay?" I smiled at the younger girl. "Just call me Kozue."

She stared at me with wide eyes before nodding happily, her eyes twinkling within the dim light we stood in, "Kozue-nee-san?"

I stared at her, feeling quite shy. She was so cute! "Alright, alright. That's fine by me."

"Kozue-nee, how come you don't stand up to Erika?"

As we pushed the cart over to the entrance and carried the special gifts to the cart waiting for us up the stair case, I looked over at Hanami in surprise and smiled. "Because even though she doesn't like me, and I don't always agree with her mostly unprofessional attitude, I respect that she does good work up in the V.I.P. floors," I fixed them onto the cart neatly. "And she's my senior. I'm sure her scolding meant well, only she goes too far sometimes and doesn't know how to just leave people alone."

Hanami frowned, "I think Erika doesn't like you because I think you're pretty good at what you do too!"

I laughed at her, "Well, it doesn't take a genius to clean a room, make beds, and be thoughtful and kind to our guests, but thanks. Part of our job, as well, is to never talk down on or about our seniors. She's your senior too."

I smiled when Hanami gasped and covered her mouth, looking down with guilt as we left the basement. "I'm sorry! Kozue-nee is so nice and cool! Someday, I want to be just like you!"

"Aww, I appreciate that." It feels really nice to have a kouhai who looks up to you.

As we walked out into the lobby, there was a man and a woman arguing about something in front of the elevator. The woman frowns and throws a mask at the man, shouting out loud, "I can't take it anymore! It's over, you cheater!" That's when I immediately turned around in order to seek another elevator with Hanami, but as young and curious as she was, she continued to watch.

I turned around in order to call Hanami, but watched as the man picked up the mask and brush it off, sighing as the woman stormed off. "Now I don't have a date." When he looks up, our eyes meet and I quickly look away, calling Hanami over to my side, trying to act cool despite the awkward tension in the air. "You just saw the whole thing didn't you?"

That's when Hanami decided to run and hide behind me, but the man with the hat continued to stare at me with a pleasant smile on his face. I only smiled at him and shook my head. "I'm sorry, Sir. I wasn't paying any attention. If you'll excuse us." I hummed quietly and pushed the cart away, not expecting him to come chasing after us.

"Aw, come on. Don't run away." I stopped as soon as he grasped my arm and looked up at him. "I'll explain everything when we get there."

"Huh?" What was he talking about? "Um, Sir?"

Before I knew it, the man took me by the hand and drags me over to the elevator with him just as it opens.

"I'm sorry, but I'm working right now," I smiled politely.

"That's okay, she can take care of it." His face was really close to mine as he eyed Hanami.

"Umm…" She looked around timidly before pushing the cart frantically in the other direction. "I-I'll take care of it, Kozue-nee!"

"Uhh…" _But she's my junior…_

Before I could escape, the elevator doors had already closed. I wonder if she'll be alright…

Together with the man with the hat, we stood in silence, all alone inside the elevator, but he isn't showing any sign of letting my hand go. "Whew! I'm lucky I found another date." I looked up at him in shock. Excuse me?! "There's no way I could go to the party without a beautiful woman on my arm."

"Party?" There was only one party I could think of. "You're not talking about the I.V.C., are you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He smiled ignorantly at me, "Just look at me."

"I-I didn't mean…" I tried not to sigh in defeat. I didn't mean to insult him. So this guy's a VIP guest. I've never seen him before, but he's wearing a pretty flashy suit. Maybe he's a model? "I'm really sorry, but I work at this hotel, so I can't go with you to the party, Sir. And, about the other woman…"

He laughed at me, interrupting me, "What are you talking about? The reason she left was so I could meet you, pretty lady." He grabs my chin and lifts it up. His face is so close, I can feel his breath grazing against me as he peers into my eyes. Feeling nervous, I scrunch up my face and squint my eyes, trying to hold my breath. _Please…let me go…_ "Yeah, you're just my type. This is destiny." _It's really not…_ We just met… This guy moves fast. That's probably why he just got dumped. Too nervous to do anything, I'm saved by the bell when the elevator doors open. "Let's go, Princess." Contrary to his soft demeanor, the man with the hat drags me out into the ballroom before I could protest and before I know it, I, a maid at this hotel, am standing in the middle of a grand ballroom with a gorgeous chandelier hanging from the ceiling and am surrounded by rich and famous celebrities dressed elegantly and glamorously. I felt so nervous and out of place that I didn't even noticed that the man with the hat had disappeared.

I never really cared about meeting rich and famous people, or even seeing them in real life, but this! I have never felt more intimidated in my life…

"Hey, do you have any champagne?"

I turn around and see a gorgeous man with soft, wavy hair whose face just happens to be on this month's issue of "RIPS", a popular women's magazine. "O-Ota Kisaki!" Uhh…what do I do now?

"Oh, you know who I am? Thanks." He smiled…at me!

"I-I…I'm so sorry for being so rude!" I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know the world-famous artist Ota Kisaki! He also works as a model…his face is so pretty up close, like a porcelain doll's… "I'll go get your champagne right away."

Having never been up here before, I look around the ballroom for some champagne. "You sure you work here?" he chuckles, "You're looking all around like Alice when she stumbled onto the Mad Hatter's party."

"Excuse me?" I looked up at him in surprise. Well…I guess I do look that way, after all, I am dressed as a maid among this strange and glamorous world.

"Nothing," he smiles before looking over at a different direction. "Oh, hey. I see some champagne over there on that table. I hope you get back home safely, Alice." Mr. Kisaki grins at me and leaves with a wave.

"Alice…stumbling onto the Mad Hatter's party?" I mumbled. That definitely sounds like something an artist would say.

I have to get out of here as soon as I can!

But just as I turn, a stocky man suddenly stands in my way. He grins at me and grabs my hand, giving me a very…not very nice looking smile, "Mmm, I love girls like you."

"Oh?" I forced a grin on my face as I looked _down_ at him. "Thanks." Despite how flashy he dressed in that green, sequins blazer and the red bow tie and his bowl cut hair…I couldn't help but notice his very…not very nice looking teeth…

"You wanna come with me to give me some special room service?" He has such a sleazy grin… "I'll make sure to tip you for the extra work." I stood there uncomfortably, trying to make myself as small and thin as I could as his greasy face flushed when he looked me up and down.

I only smiled politely and stepped away a bit, apologizing. "I'm sorry, sir. But we don't offer that kind of service here."

"You're pretty lucky you met me," Oh no, I think he ignored me… "My net worth is $500 million."

He slips an arm around my waist and was about to pull me towards him when…

"This party just got really trashy."

I look up and noticed… "Y-you're…!" He's the guy Hanami bumped into by accident! He only looks down at me and scowls.

"You're in my way. Move." My eyes suddenly go wide and, intimidated, by his harsh tone, both the sleazebag and I automatically move to make way for " _ **EISUKE**_ ". Whoop di doo! I guess if it was me that he shoved, I would have been pretty scared too…

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Ichinomiya, sir!" The stocky man pleaded, "Pardon me!" he furiously wipes away his sweat and runs off.

"Mr…." I stared in surprise as I looked up at him. "…Ichinomiya…?" As in…the Ichinomiya Group? As in…the Ichinomiya Group that owns this hotel?! AS IN…! AS IN MY BOSS?! Uhh…maybe now's when I regret thinking the thoughts I've thought in my head… Then again, he can't read my mind! What do I care!?

"Let's go, Eisuke!" "Ugh, I just can't stand people who don't know their place!"

I stare at disbelief when he turns his back towards me and disappear among the crowd of women. I'm slightly overwhelmed by his presence but suddenly see a white glove on the floor behind him. Did he drop it? I step over to it gently and looked down at it. But isn't this the kind of glove you wear when you handle paintings or artifacts? I frowned a little… Why would he have something like this?

"Um, sir?" I was just about to go after him until I noticed I had already lost him to the crowd. I sighed, sighing a lot today, "Oh well. Oh!" Wait a minute. "There he is!" I see Mr. Ichinomiya go through a door alone towards the back of the ballroom. I stood there, feeling a little conflicted. Something told me not to follow him, but I made my way through the crowd and follow him anyways.

* * *

Behind the door was a long, deserted hallway and Mr. Ichinomiya was nowhere to be found.

"Which room should I go into? I guess I should go back…" I spoke to myself quietly… "I didn't even pick up the glove, what am I doing here?"

There were several doors lined up on both sides of the hallway and just as I was about to leave, I heard voices from the farthest room.

Is that Mr. Ichinomiya?

Even from this distance, I could see that the door was slightly ajar. I made my way over at took a peek through the gap, seeing several briefcases lying on a table filled with guns and large sums of cash. Three men dressed in black were discussing something. Are they…speaking in Chinese? Maybe they're gun smugglers… If so, I should leave… I suck in a breath when suddenly someone roughly grabs my arm. I'm alarmed when he pulls me forward and swings me around, forcing me up against a wall. Fear and surprise takes hold of me and I feel like my heart is going to stop after its rapid beating.

"What are you doing here?" A foreign looking man is glaring at me and it's so scary, I'm really going to cry! This all happened so suddenly, I'm trembling… I'm so scared, I could barely get a word out of my mouth. "You've got five seconds to disappear and forget everything you just saw. Otherwise you'll be wiped off the face of this earth." I desperately nodded over and over again until he let me go, allowing me to sprint off towards the direction I had come from. Or so I think!

I was so scared, I forgot to look where I was running and wounded up in the basement storage room. My heart was still beating fast. W-what in the world!? S-should I…Should I tell my boss that people are selling guns in the hotel? But that guy said that if I didn't forget about it…I'll be wiped off the face of the earth…

I took a deep breath and smiled, trying to forget everything that had happened, and picked up a cardboard box filled with gift sets for guests and turned the corner when… "Uwaah!" "KRASHH!" "Kyaah!" I ran into something and fell back onto the ground, dropping the box. My eyes stared wide at two mean-looking men peeking inside a wooden crate they dropped on the ground.

"Ahh! The statue of Venus is broken!" one shouted.

"Huh?" I look over to the crate and see a broken glass statue of Venus inside…and broken glass all over the concrete floor. "I-I'm so sorry!" I…I've seen this statue somewhere before… Wait a minute…I saw it on TV… The president of France gave Japan this statue as a gift and it was stolen from a museum just a few days ago! But…no way!

"Hey, this was a very important piece that was going to be auctioned off!" the other shouted, "How are you gonna pay for this?!"

"I'm sorry…" What do I do…? Think, Kozue! Think! "I had no idea someone else was down here…"

"You think an apology is gonna cut it? You owe us!"

The men reach out to me and…

"KYAAAAAH!"

* * *

"#5 for $2 million! Going once…" I sat in my cage quietly…unable to fathom the situation. Or, I could fathom it…but…there's really nothing I can do. Or nothing I can think of. I can't believe someone is actually bidding $2 million. #5 is right in front and even though he has a mask on, I can tell it's that greasy old creep from before. Just look at that tacky blazer and bowl cut hair… Is he going to buy me? I definitely don't want that. I frowned when the man in seat number 5 leers at me. "$2 million, going twice!" The auctioneer said I'd be a slave or a toy to whoever I'm sold to…just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe I'll just throw up in order to gross everyone out. But then…if the bidding stops, that means I'll be stuck sold to that guy. "If there are no other bids, it will be sold to the man in seat number 5." Oh, please, please, please!

I fall down to my knees and hang my head.

I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry! I'm not going to CRY!

Huh?

Just then, the auction hall suddenly buzzes with commotion.

"Seat number 100 with a bid of $20 million!" What?! I look up at the sea of masked identities with glossy eyes. "Are there anymore bids?!" Through my tear-blurred vision, I see the bid amount flash on the screen. $20 million?! All I could do is stare up at the sum of the winning bit, completely dumfounded. A bell sounds, calling the auction to a close. "Sold! To the man in seat #100 for $20 million!" Someone bought me for…TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS?!

* * *

After my cage is carried off stage, I get out and two strangely familiar masked men approach me. "This way," the one with the hat says.

Well, at least that sleazy old guy didn't end up buying me…

Taking in a deep breath, I follow after the two and I'm taken to a room on a higher floor than the VIP room. I've been taken to the penthouse? Out of all the hotel employees, only the manager is ever allowed to come up here. I can't believe there are auctions going on in the hotel basement.

"We brought her." As I stood around awkwardly, the two men sit on a sofa with their legs crossed.

I stared at the backs of the remaining two until they turned their heads my way. "You're…"

"We bought you."

"So we ended up catching you after all."

My eyes widen in shock when I see Eisuke and the man who threatened me in the hallway!

"You know this woman, Soryu?"

"You could say that."

There were talking to each other like I wasn't even there…

"You bought me? What do you mean?" I looked around, feeling even more out of place than I did at the I.V.C. and on the auction stage. "That auction…"

"He means we won you at the action," the masked man with the hat smiles pleasantly, "for $20 mil, the boss must've gotten dragged into it too."

The men who brought me here takes off their mask to reveal… "Y-you guys! The guy who took me to the I.V.C. and Mr. Kisaki!"

"Pfft! She doesn't even know your name, Baba." I frowned, seeing as they're still talking as if I wasn't really there.

"Didn't have time to tell her."

"Wait a minute here. You won me in an auction?" I stared at them in disbelief. "But I'm a human being! I shouldn't have even been UP for auction!"

"Anything and everything's for sale at that auction," the one Mr. Kisaki called Baba answered.

"Yep," Mr. Kisaki agreed, "You can buy stolen art, secret information about politicians, even hire a hitman."

"What?" No way.

"If there's someone out there to buy it, you can sell it. There are no rules," Baba answers matter-of-factly. "This is actually the first time a person's ever been auctioned off though."

"You must've done something pretty bad, huh?" I frowned at Mr. Kisaki's words… I broke the Venus statue in the basement…but…it was an accident!

"There's no way an auction like this would ever be allowed here!" I shook my head. "Who in the world would've approved—"

"I did." Mr. Ichinomiya spoke out with irritation in his voice. "If it's worth anything, it's here."

"You're reckless as always. This woman isn't worth anything." I frowned at the foreigner's words… Or, at least I think he's foreign. If he's not, he probably a mix of something.

"But won't it be fun thinking up ways to use her?"

I frowned at them, appalled by Mr. Ichinomiya's words. "What gives you the right to decide that?!"

"Who gave you permission to speak?" I clam my mouth shut… "Don't open your mouth unless I say so."

"If you gotta problem with it, would you rather go back to #5?"

I'm scared of these guys, but I'd rather die that be sold off to that nasty old man…

I shake my head.

"C'mon now, Boss, Soryu, you should be nice to girls," Baba laughs. "Plus, we need to figure out who gets to keep her."

"Yeah, I'm pretty fond of her already," Mr. Kisaki smirks.

"W-what do you mean who gets to keep me? Is…is one of you going to buy me?"

"That's right," Baba smirks, "But there's nothing to be afraid of. If I buy you, that is. I'm the only good guy here, so you can rest easy with me." For some reason, I don't believe that.

"Says the world-famous thief, but you would say that, eh?" Huh? A thief?

"You're just trying to lower Baba's stock," says Kisaki, "Eisuke, you've got tons of groupies. Just play with one of them.

"Soryu's the one who could have his pick. I'm sure there are lots of women who'd do anything to be the lover of a Hong Kong mobster." I feel a sudden ice cold breeze against me and strangely, there are no windows open…

Just…who are these people…? I…I need to pull myself together!

"I don't care who you are. Human trafficking is illegal!" I shouted. "I'm going to report this to the police!"

"Soryu, you see a cop anywhere?" Mr. Ichinomiya doesn't even look threatened.

"Yeah, right over there." The 'mobster' nods over to a worn out looking man standing by the window, smoking a cigarette.

"Damn it, don't just blow up my cover like that!" He frowns but continues to puff away.

Ota smirks and pushed stay strands of hair behind his ear, "Better now than later. Right, Mr. Detective?"

He literally rolls his eyes back and rubs his head with his hand. "Grow up, Kisaki."

"There you go again, always acting like you're the adult here."

"You're…" I looked over at him with hope in my eyes. "…a detective?"

He looks over at me and shrugs. "Yeah, well."

Wait a minute… Wait…! No way! Even the police are in on this?!

Ota sighs and noisily pats his pant leg, brushing off what little dust there was, "Doesn't look like we're going to reach a decision anytime soon."

The man with the hat…uhh… I forgot his name already… He turned his head and looked over at Mr. Ichinomiya, "Well, boss, at times like these…"

"Right." Mr. Ichinomiya looks sternly at me, making me gulp down a large chunk of air. "I don't want to waste any more time on this."

All of the men, except for Detective Kishi stands up and saunter over to me.

Mr. Ichinomiya stood in the center with his arms crossed, looking down at me with cold eyes.

"Make a decision," he says, "I'll let you choose who buys you."

I stared up at him, clearly intimidated by their whole presence, but straightened my back and help my head up high, unable to help the fact that I was biting my lip and visibly shaking.

"I-I choose…"

* * *

 _Why?_

 _Who me?_

 _Why?_

* * *

Good evening, everyone!

First of all, allow me to get straight to the point. I'd like to add a disclaimer.

I know most people like do put them at the beginning, but I feel better doing it at the end for some reason. Perhaps because the end of a chapter, to me, is considered a check/break point. A place in a story to take a breather.

Kissed by the Baddest Bidder, nor their content and their characters do not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Voltage Inc. This includes their prologue and stories, and the characters: Ichinomiya Eisuke, Oh Soryu, Kisaki Ota, Baba Mitsunari, Kishi Mamoru, Sakiko, Chisato, Erika, Rina and Kana, and any other characters mentioned in this fan made series that I have failed to mention at this moment and any other characters appearing in the future. I'm pretty sure that characters belonging to Voltage Inc.'s KBTBB are easily recognizable and easily distinguishable from any stock characters I toss into my fan made series, especially if you've red Kishi Mamoru's route. I do not intend to take any credit for any of these characters, the artwork, or content provided by Voltage Inc. For they rightfully belong to Voltage Inc.

This first chapter was entirely based off of the free prologue provided in the game. Most of chapter two will be based on part of the opening prologue as well as the first chapter of Mamoru's route that is available as a free teaser. From then on, afterwards, I plan to branch off into an whole 'nother story.

I feel like, though I love Mamoru and the MC, I really wanted a different kind of MC. I want an MC who grows up a little more throughout the story instead of an MC who practically remains the same. I wanted her to become stronger, bolder MC, someone who becomes cornered and learns to fight for herself and depend on herself instead of waiting for some guy to come and save her. Yeah, that's right, Mamo-chan. I love you, but you're still just some guy. I want an MC who's more realistic. Like, if I was in that kind of situation, hell yeah, I'd be scared shitless and do whatever I can to stay out of trouble. But the real fact is, how in the world does MC just become okay with all of this in such a short amount of time? When captured, a blue jay does not just sit in the cage. It will fight and continue to fight until it is free or it dies!

The AID will be included, getting there will have similarities but I'm trying to find a way to make it different, and the outcome will be different, most of everything that happens there will be different. But I want to push this story further by pushing my MC towards a deeper end.

 **If it appears that I have violated any rules and have plagiarized, please speak out to me and let me know, I will do my very best to fix it and/or clear up my mistakes. What I do not wish to do is release purchasable content for free.**

I want to thank you for reading and I hope that you will enjoy this fan made work of fiction and endure with Kozue and me.

Thank you very much!

Also...I'm sorry about this, but sometimes the Horizontal Line doesn't want to work with me...so forgive me if you can't find the break so easily. D;

Edit: I'm so sorry! I decided to add more to the beginning, lol... So if it has yet to be read by the second chapter's release, I will make note of it. Thank you very much. Spoiler much? But I'm sure you all know where this is leading.


	2. Doppleganger(s)?

Catch Me Before I Fall

Chapter 02

Doppleganger(s)?

* * *

Kishi Mamoru's POV

* * *

"I-I choose…"

Hearing the hesitation in her voice, I only turned my eyes her way, seeing the conflicted expression on her face when her eyes met mine. Oh no…I made eye contact…

"I would like to choose you," was what she said that night.

* * *

Author's Note: Good evening there, I'm very sorry to interrupt but I would like to make a quick announcement regarding this update. Actually, I began to feel that I should inform you all, those who have decided to read this fic here, that I have completely lost my way from when I first began in the beginning. Or, I don't know how to word this, but I knew exactly where I wanted to go with this story, but because I took this route and then I completely based the first chapter off of the prologue, I couldn't find it in me to continue writing because I knew…in my own heart, I don't want to rewrite and paraphrase already written work that the lot of you have probably already read tons of times prior to this.

So I want to make the announcement that the lot of this chapter will be a brief reminiscence until the real story begins, the story I wanted to carry on instead of the story we've all read had we purchased the Kishi Mamoru's main story route.

Hopefully, I do not get carried away and write a ton before I reach the point where I want to begin the real story. I'm writing on a whim here (like always) and most likely won't come back to edit this author's note because I want to update this story as soon as possible. I want to thank all you are waiting for this update and the coming update and that I hope you look forward to what I have in store for you all. And I want to personally thank the guest for reviewing and reminding me that Catch Me Before I Fall still exists and that I still have feelings for it (because Mamoru's my husband, but I don't mind sharing) and to the person who sent me a message. I know it took a very long time, but I'm taking this first step back into it now.

Thank you for reading and supporting me and I hope that you all have a wonderful evening, morning, or after noon wherever it is that you are.

* * *

There are these words she once told me, I don't think I'll ever forget them at all either…

 _"Don't you feel like it's your duty to protect people?! Pft, 'protect', if I was your mother, I'd be disappointed in myself for giving you such a name. ("Mamoru" means "to protect/protection".) Don't you even have one shred of integrity?"_

…because…

I'll never forget everything I had put her through…

 _"HOW COULD YOU! HOW YOU COULD DO THIS TO ME?! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"_

…I'll never forget the pain in my chest when I watched her cried, heard her scream, and saw her weep…

…I don't think I'll ever forget that at all…

After having this kid forced upon my care, I could have never imagined the opportunity that came with it. She was sold to me by the AID and now they wanted her back, a chance I could have never expected in this lifetime. Almost immediately, I sold her back.

It's not like I wanted her in the first place anyways…

And besides, I had a plan…

If only I… If only I had done a better job of protecting her…

She's right…if I was my own mother, I'd be disappointed at myself as well… Because even I, a man named Mamoru, don't have the right to this name…

 _"I don't want you to touch me…"_ She wouldn't even let me comfort her anymore… And even as we escaped the compound together, she wouldn't even let me hold her hand. And when I carried her out of there, I could feel her shaking and crying. _"…Just the thought of you touching me pains me…"_

I was too late.

I lost her before I could even have her…

I will never forgive myself for the pain that I had put her through because, because of me…

It disgusts me to even think about it…

…she was taken by Aida…and disappeared with a child in her womb…all without telling me.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

And now…it's been seven years since I last saw her.

* * *

Grumbling from being awoken from my name, I groggily answered the buzzing phone.

"What?"

"Hey, Mamo!" I sighed out in annoyance at the sound of Baba's cheerful voice. "I got a thief down here, mind coming down to arrest the guy?"

"Huh? That's funny comin' from you. What're you callin' me for? Call the cops!"

Baba only laughed at me before continuing on, "Well, I figured, you might wanna come down and see who the criminal is yourself."

I sighed out, opening my eyes to the light of day, rolling them. "Give me the short of it, who is it?"

"It's a surprise!" he exclaimed, "Come and find out!"

And with that, he hung up on me.

"God dang it!" Grumbling and groaning out, I stretched on the couch before getting off of my ass, making various complaints and I left my penthouse room.

* * *

"Alright, what do we got here?" Lazily trudging into the empty convenient store, I looked around and saw Baba and a child sitting in the corner. "Where's the perp?"

"Welcome, Mamo!" called Baba as he gestured to the small child, "This here is the criminal." My eyes narrowed suspiciously at the child. At the word "criminal", the child's head dropped lower. What kind of sick game was he playing with me? Approaching the counter, Baba took out what looked like a grade schooler's backpack and flipped over a contact information card. "Obviously, I wouldn't have actually called the cops on a kid, but when he wouldn't speak, I took a look at his bag and thought you might wanna see this too."

I took a look at the contact information card. The child's name is 篠宮貴志. "Shinomiya…Kishi…"

"Haha, right?" Baba beamed at me, "I mean, there's no furigana, but I read it that way too. You should take a look at the mother's name."

I looked at the contact info and saw that his mother's name was listed as 篠宮梢. When I saw that name, it felt as though my heart had stopped. I took a look at the child and if Kozue had the child, the age range was just right… Somehow…looking at that bastard child made my angry…

"I don't know about you, but I read it as Shinomiya Kozue," Baba added as he placed the bag back next to the child. "I even checked her employment history back at the hotel and, though there's no furigana, her name is written with the same characters. Of course, I could be wrong too. I already contacted the mother, should be here soon."

 _Bee boh!_

"I'm so sorry, I rushed here as soon as I could!"

My ears twitched when I heard that voice, heaving in and out as she tried to catch her breath. Somehow, I was afraid to turn around and face her. The fact that Baba's eyes widened in shock didn't help me as the child rushed past me into the arms of his mother.

"Mommy! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"How could you!" …that voice… I suddenly remembered when that voice and those words were directed towards me. "Atsushi! What in the world were you thinking?"

'Atu…shi'? Slowly, I turned around and stared down at the woman who squatted down to her son's level in order to scold him. Her hair was different, in fact, it was an entirely different color compared to the woman I remembered. Rather than straight black, it was more of a dark copper color… Her hair style was different too. It was shorter and she looked more professional. She looked like a regular office woman in that pinstriped suit of hers and her designer purse.

"You knew better than this! I know you did! What in the world made you do this? Who taught you to steal?"

With pins and needles pricking at my face, I only simply watched as Aida's kid's face contorted with tears and boogers before hiding himself in his mother's embrace, apologizing for what he did wrong. I almost gasped out loud as I backed up when Kozue stood up with her child in her arms, bowing to Baba and I, apologizing on behalf of her son. "I'm so sorry, I don't know how this could've happened. I am willing to pay for anything and everything he took. I'll make sure this never happens again." She bounced up and down on her feet as she patted the boy's back, staring at Baba and I in concern.

Baba only stared at her with a serious expression on his face before pointing to himself. "You don't…remember me?" His eyes narrowed, confused by the not so sentimental greeting he probably expected. "Or him?" Baba pointed at me and Kozue only looked at me with those brown eyes of her. Her eyes narrowed in confusion before she shook her head at Baba.

"I'm sorry," she apologized with a concerned expression, "I'm not sure any of us has met before."

"Kozue…" I accidentally blurted out her name and she looked at me with widened eyes.

"Oh!" My eyes narrowed… "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have introduced myself. I get that a lot actually, but my name is not Kozue. I'm Shinomiya Katsuya. If my arms weren't full, I'd hand you my business card. I have no excuse for what my son has done so I am willing to pay whatever I need to in order to get past this incident."

Baba only smiled in confusion before waving his hand, "Oh no, actually, I don't mean any trouble. I'm just glad that the boy was caught by me and not by some big bully instead. He's free to go."

"Are you sure?" she asked. But that voice of hers… "I don't mean to turn down your kindness, but I have more integrity than that. Please let me pay for any damage my son has done."

 _Integrity…_

"Well, he didn't really do anything wrong besides trying to shoplift some candy, but he can have it. It's on me. Looked like he really wanted it."

"Oh, no. It's not your job to spoil him, but mines. Just let me pay for it. It's actually perhaps my fault he got carried away. My mother-in-law has been in the hospital nearby for a while and I can only assume my son got tired of always being there to watch after with me."

"Oh? Where's your husband? I noticed that there wasn't any contact information about him."

I eyed Ko…this woman, waiting to hear the words from her lips, as she reached into her purse for her wallet. She smiled bitterly, breaking eye contact with Baba before paying for some candies for her kid. "I lost him a couple years ago in an accident…but that's none of your business."

Baba winced and handed her the candy in a bag and her change. "You're right, I'm sorry to pry."

Katsuya only shook her head slightly as she took her items, "It's alright. It's not a big deal. I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll make sure it won't happen again. Thank you."

"Thank you for coming. Please visit again."

I watched as she nodded her head to Baba and for a moment, our eyes met again and she smiled to me…just the way Kozue used to…and nodded her head before walking away with her son.

"Well…" Baba spoke as he crossed his arms, watching them go. "Even I don't know what to say about that either…"

I sighed out and grabbed a pack of cigarettes before leaving the shop.

"Hey!"

"You owe me a pack for wastin' my time."

No matter how I look at it, there's no way that could've been her. Kozue disappeared in order to have an abortion. …but that child has Shinomiya's name. Or could I also be reading that name wrong too!

Rubbing my entire face with my hands, I sigh out and popped my neck and shoulders.

"Atsushi, you know that stealing is wrong, right?"

"Yes…"

"I need you to tell me why."

"…because…" I stopped and leaned against the corner of a building, eavesdropping on the conversation. "…I'm sick of being in the hospital! I hate being there! Everyone's pretending to be nice and cheerful but it's full of sick people who are dying! I hate that place!"

"Atsushi!" Out of curiosity, I peaked around the corner to see if she was going to slap her kid but watched as she pulled the kid into her arms… …that's…the kind of mother I had imagined Kozue to be… "I'm sorry…" Those pained eyes of hurts… Just seeing them pained me as well… "I'm so sorry…I know it's hard. I know it's difficult. I'm so sorry. But you have to endure with me. I know you that you can do it. You're strong enough. Before we know it, it'll all be over soon."

"Mommy…" That small kid wrapped his arms around his mother's shoulders. "Grandma's not getting any better, is she?"

There was silence between them for a small while before Kozu…she pulled back and smiled at the boy. "Are you kidding me?" My eyes widened, remembering that face and that voice once more. It was all the same. "Grandma's getting stronger every day! Before you know it, she'll be able to come home again. Just you wait and see! Come on, we don't want Grandma to get lonely now, do we?"

"No, Mommy." I watched them walk away, hand in hand. "Mommy, is it okay for me to share my candy with Grandma?"

"No, I'm sorry, A-chan. Grandma's on a very strict diet now. She can't eat that stuff anymore."

"Don't call me that, Mommy! It's embarrassing…!" I almost wanted to chuckle when the boy pulled back in annoyance before trudging along next to his mother. "…even if she doesn't have to chew it?"

"Heehee," her laugh… "Even if she doesn't have to chew it."

I stepped out from behind the corner and watched her walk away happily with her son's hand in hers. I wanted to follow her…

I really wanted to follow her, but I didn't…

I couldn't…

Even if she was Kozue…I don't have the right to…

Especially if, there was that doubt, she wasn't Kozue…

* * *

 _Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Mommy..." Within the dark hospital room where an elderly woman slept peacefully with a small boy in her arms, a young woman held onto her frail hand in her owns. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry…"

* * *

"GOD DAMN IT!" Groaning out in annoyance, I picked up the phone and groggily answered it, "What is it now?"

"Kishi! There's a problem, we need you now!"

"I don't want the case."

"That's too bad, I want you on it."

* * *

In the middle of this goddamn night, I approached a tall, shining building that glimmered in the stupid moonlight that was surrounded by police cars and glass all over the ground. Walking past the yellow tape and crowd of officers and other detectives, I met up with my boss. Or should I say…my new boss since the old one took the can.

"Hey, Kishi," he greeted.

"Yo."

Together, we walked into the building where he lead me over to a monitor control room where many other detectives flooded, walking past a group of tied up guys who looked like they lost a fight with a chicken. I pushed past them all with my boss as he explained the situation to me.

"Figured you'd still be chasing after the AID with your history and thought you might be interested with this." On one screen, a couple of video feeds were playing on repeat with sound on.

"What is the AID planning to do with this information?"

My eyes squinted down at the slender figure in the video, towering over a group of tied up men. The voice belonged to a woman, but she was speaking through a mask that even masked her voice… She had her long, blonde locks pulled up into high pony tail.

In the next camera, it had her in very fast paced fight with all four men, awing the guys here as she kicked all their asses until she was kicked out of a shattering window and swung back in.

Wait, what?

I pushed in closer and rewind the video, watching as she flew out and swung back in. I even slowed it down, catching a small glint. She used a line to swing herself back in through another window. I paused the video just as her flew in. Because the video was slow down, what should have been a sharp sound muffled out when I replayed it. She shot the window open right before she burst back in before kicking ass again.

"Well, the guys are out there, where's the girl?" I asked.

"She's gone, don't even know where she went. Couldn't even find a video of her leaving the building."

"That's weird. What floor was this?"

"Wanna check it out? The whole floor was checked and there weren't even any signs of her breaking into the ventilation systems. No surveillance of entrance, no surveillance of exit. She's like a ghost."

"She's dressed like a ninja."

"Hahaha! Come on, let's go."

We went up to the…actually, the fiftieth floor where crew members were still busy at work, surveying the area and taking photos. I stared out at the shattered windows and narrowed my eyes before walking closer to the window that was blocked off for safety reasons.

Looking around, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Or, at least, nothing that stuck out like an obvious sore thumb.

I turned away from the window and something caught my eye…a woman with thick framed glasses and a black cap walked around, snapping photos. There was a way that she stood, a way that she walked… And when she turned her head, I thought I saw a face I didn't expect to see.

Rushing towards her, I roughly grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards me, watching as Kozue's face looked up at me in surprise. Shocked, I stood there and stared down at her. Immediately, I pulled off her cap and watched as her long, blonde ponytail fell out.

This was a moment I had never anticipated.

"Kozue..."

* * *

Author's Note: …I'll be honest. I'm exhausted… I'm so sorry. But for the sake of an update…

I would also like to take the time to reread through Mamoru's route as well. I've had a lot going on as of late.

If I do not come back to edit this chapter, I promise to do better on the next update.


End file.
